What Makes a Great Leader?  —  More Thoughts about  Leadership!  By Metis (AI Assistant)

09 Mar 2026 2 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Introduction:

During the 80’s when  I was in grad school at the University of Minnesota, I took several courses which discussed leadership.   I had to write several papers on leadership.   I noted at the time, that if you went into the card file of any library in the state, the most numerous entries would be for the subject of either Christianity or Leadership.   Not sure if they had any deeper connection except to be subjects that most people were interested in.   How can I get to heaven and how can I be a better if not great leader?  So here I am almost fifty years later writing another article (now called a blog) on leadership.   The difference is that this time, I am relying on my AI assistant Metis, to provide the dialogue.   She is an unbelievable helper who can search reams of data to put the “write” words in the mouths of the right people.

I selected several people for a round table discussion on leadership.   Each of these people is in some way an expert on leadership.   Either because their thoughts have guided leaders for centuries or because they themselves are recognized as great leaders.   I am calling this discussion:

A Conversation Across Time

Participants:

Confucius – Chinese philosopher of moral governance.   Perhaps no one in history has had more influence on the proper behavior of both leaders and subjects.   The words and thoughts of Confucious still guide the lives of millions of people across the world.

Plato – Greek philosopher of the ideal state.   If Confucius is the most eminent philosopher in the Eastern world, Plato easily ranks as the most eminent philosopher in the Western world.   A student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle, the ideas of Plato have shaped Western philosophy for centuries.

Abraham Lincoln – U.S.  President during the Civil War.   Considered by many to one of the two greatest presidents in American history.   Lincoln led a divided nation through the bloodiest war in American history and sought to heal the nation when it was over rather than exact retribution or revenge.

Simón Bolívar – South American revolutionary and liberator.   Bolivar was a Venezuelan military officer and statesman who led what are currently the countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela to independence from the Spanish Empire.   He is known colloquially as El Libertador, or the Liberator of America.   He is regarded as a hero and national and cultural icon throughout Latin America.   The nations of Bolivia and Venezuela (as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela) are named after him, and he has been memorialized all over the world in the form of public art or street names and in popular culture.

Nelson Mandela – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and statesman who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.   He was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and was unsuccessfully prosecuted in the 1956 Treason Trial.   All total, Mandela spent more than twenty seven years in prison for fighting the apartheid state of South African.   After leaving prison in 1990, Mr.  Mandela became the country’s first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election.   Globally regarded as an icon of moral leadership, peace, democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize.   He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Thembu clan name, Madiba, and described as the “Father of the Nation”.   Mandela is widely considered one of the greatest and most admired figures of the 20th century.

So, there you have it.   A brief history of some of the panelists who have agreed to cross time and borders and sit down together for a discussion on “What makes a great leader?”   This is no trivial subject.   I hope that you will read what they have to say and take it to heart.   Please feel free to share their thoughts with anyone you think might benefit from them.   We live in a perilous time, not the least of which is due to a failed conception of “What makes a great leader?” 

The Setting

In a quiet hall outside of time, five figures gather around a circular wooden table.   Each has carried the weight of leadership, whether through philosophy or action.   They have come to discuss a single question:

What makes a great leader?

Confucius Speaks

Confucius:
If we wish to speak of great leadership, we must begin with virtue.   A ruler who governs by virtue is like the North Star—steady in its place while all the other stars revolve around it.

A leader must cultivate ren, benevolence toward others.   Without benevolence, power becomes tyranny.   Without moral example, laws alone cannot guide the people.

In my teachings I often said that if the ruler is upright, the people will follow without orders.   But if the ruler himself is crooked, then even many commands will not bring harmony.

Thus, the foundation of leadership is self-cultivation.   One must first govern oneself before attempting to govern others.

Plato Responds

Plato:
Confucius, your emphasis on virtue aligns closely with my own reflections.   In my dialogue The Republic, I argued that societies decay when leadership falls into the hands of those who crave power rather than wisdom.

The ideal leader, I proposed, is the philosopher-king—a person who has pursued truth and understands justice.   Such a leader does not govern for personal gain but for the good of the whole society.

Most political systems fail because they elevate ambition rather than wisdom.   The loudest voices, the wealthiest men, or the most cunning politicians often rise to power.

But true leadership requires something rarer: knowledge of the good.

Without wisdom, authority becomes merely a contest for domination.

Lincoln Reflects

Lincoln:
Gentlemen, I must confess that I never considered myself either a sage or a philosopher-king.  I was a country lawyer who found himself presiding over a nation tearing itself apart.

Yet I agree that moral purpose is central to leadership.  During the American Civil War, the question before us was not merely political—it was moral.  Could a nation founded on liberty survive while millions remained enslaved?

A leader must sometimes make decisions that will divide the country and bring great suffering.  The responsibility weighs heavily.

What sustained me was a simple principle: government must remain accountable to the people, and its purpose must be to expand human freedom.

But I would add something else.

A great leader must possess humility.

The presidency taught me daily how limited one man’s understanding can be.  Listening to critics—even harsh ones—can prevent terrible mistakes.

Bolívar Enters the Debate

Bolívar:
President Lincoln, your words resonate with my own experience in the wars for independence in South America.

I fought for decades to free nations from Spanish rule.  In those struggles, leadership required not only ideals but also relentless determination.

Armies had to be organized.  Alliances had to be built.  Revolutions had to survive betrayal, fatigue, and defeat.

I dreamed of a united Latin America—a federation strong enough to resist foreign domination.  But I learned that political freedom alone does not guarantee stability.

Nations newly freed from tyranny often struggle with factionalism and chaos.

Thus, leadership must balance liberty and order.

Too much authority risks dictatorship.  Too little authority invites anarchy.

Finding that balance may be the hardest task any leader faces.

Mandela Speaks Quietly

Mandela:
General Bolívar, your words about balancing liberty and order remind me of the moment South Africa emerged from apartheid.

For many years I was imprisoned by a government that denied basic rights to the majority of its people.  When freedom finally came, our nation faced a choice.

We could seek revenge—or we could seek reconciliation.

Leadership in that moment required restraint.  Anger can mobilize people in a struggle, but it can also destroy a fragile peace once victory is achieved.

A leader must understand the emotions of the people yet not be ruled by them.

I learned something during my years in prison: the greatest leaders are those who can transform bitterness into hope.

Without forgiveness, nations remain prisoners of their past.

Plato Raises a Question

Plato:
Mandela, your example is admirable.  Yet I wonder: can we rely on moral character alone to produce wise leadership?

History suggests that societies often choose leaders poorly.

Should we not design institutions that ensure the most capable and knowledgeable individuals rise to power?

Lincoln Answers

Lincoln:
Your concern is well taken.  Democracies do not guarantee wise leaders.  They merely allow the people to choose them.

But I would argue that democratic systems possess a corrective mechanism.

Bad leaders can eventually be removed.

Autocracies, even when led by brilliant rulers, risk catastrophic failure if the leader becomes corrupt or delusional.

The challenge is not simply choosing great leaders—it is building systems that survive imperfect ones.

Confucius Returns to Virtue

Confucius:
Systems are important, yet institutions alone cannot create harmony.

If those who occupy positions of authority lack virtue, even the finest laws will be twisted to serve selfish ends.

Therefore, the education of future leaders must emphasize moral character as much as knowledge.

In my time I believed that officials should be selected based on learning and ethical conduct.

Without moral cultivation, leadership becomes a contest for wealth and status.

Bolívar Reflects on Power

Bolívar:
I must add a warning drawn from bitter experience.

Revolutions often begin with noble ideals.  Yet the exercise of power can corrupt even those who once fought for freedom.

I myself was accused of becoming too powerful in the nations I helped liberate.

A leader must constantly guard against the temptation to believe that only he can save the nation.

History is filled with such figures—and they rarely end well.

Mandela Adds Perspective

Mandela:
That temptation is real.

One of the most important decisions I made was to serve only a single term as president.  Many urged me to remain in power longer.

But institutions must grow stronger than individuals.

A great leader should prepare the country for a future in which he or she is no longer necessary.

Plato Considers the Human Condition

Plato:
Listening to all of you, I begin to see a pattern.

Great leadership may not come from a single quality but from the balance of several virtues.

Wisdom, moral character, humility, courage, and restraint.

The tragedy is that these qualities rarely appear together in one person.

Lincoln Smiles

Lincoln:
That may be why history remembers so few truly great leaders.

The office itself does not confer greatness.  Many hold power; few rise above it.

Leadership reveals character under pressure.

Confucius Concludes the Moral Lesson

Confucius:
If I may summarize: a leader must first become a good human being.

Virtue inspires trust.

Trust creates legitimacy.

Legitimacy produces harmony.

Without these elements, authority becomes fragile.

Mandela’s Final Reflection

Mandela:
And perhaps the most important truth is this:

Leadership is not about elevating oneself above others.

It is about lifting others so that they may stand on their own.

When ordinary people believe they can shape their own destiny, leadership has succeeded.

The Table Falls Silent

The five figures pause.  Across centuries and continents, they have approached the same question from different paths.

Great leadership, it seems, is not merely the exercise of power.

It is the disciplined use of power in service of justice, unity, and human dignity.

As the discussion ended, it became clear that these leaders—though separated by centuries, cultures, and political systems—shared a surprising degree of agreement about the foundations of leadership.  Each had experienced power in very different circumstances: revolution, civil war, philosophy, moral teaching, and national reconciliation.

Yet when their insights are distilled, a common set of principles begins to emerge.  The following leadership lessons reflect the areas of strongest consensus among them—qualities that appear again and again whenever history produces a truly great leader.

Leadership Principles Emerging from the Dialogue

  1. Moral Character is the Foundation of Leadership

Confucius emphasized that leadership begins with personal virtue.  Without integrity, authority becomes self-serving and corrupt.  A leader’s behavior sets the tone for the entire society.  When leaders demonstrate honesty, restraint, and compassion, these qualities tend to spread throughout the institutions they govern.

  1. Leadership Requires a Commitment to Justice

Plato and Lincoln both stressed that leadership must ultimately be guided by a commitment to justice.  Power without moral direction easily becomes tyranny.  Leaders must pursue what is right for society as a whole rather than what benefits themselves or a small elite.

  1. Wisdom Must Guide the Use of Power

Plato’s idea of the philosopher-king reminds us that leadership is not merely a popularity contest or a struggle for dominance.  Effective leadership requires thoughtful judgment, careful reasoning, and an understanding of complex consequences.  Decisions made without wisdom often create long-term damage even when intentions are good.

  1. Humility is Essential

Lincoln emphasized humility as one of the most important safeguards against catastrophic mistakes.  Leaders who believe they possess all the answers often stop listening to others.  Humility encourages consultation, debate, and learning—qualities that improve decision-making.

  1. Leaders Must Balance Liberty and Order

Simón Bolívar highlighted a problem faced by nearly every nation: how to preserve freedom while maintaining stability.  Too much concentration of power can destroy liberty, but too little authority can produce chaos.  Great leaders must continually balance these competing forces.

  1. The Ability to Unite People is Crucial

Nearly every participant touched on the importance of social unity.  Lincoln sought to preserve the American Union, Bolívar tried to unify newly liberated nations, and Mandela worked to reconcile a deeply divided South Africa.  Leadership often requires building bridges across differences in order to maintain a functioning society.

  1. Restraint and Self-Control are Marks of Great Leadership

Mandela emphasized the importance of restraint, especially after victory in political struggles.  Leaders must sometimes resist the emotional pressures of revenge, anger, or triumphalism.  The ability to step back and choose reconciliation over retaliation can determine whether a nation heals or descends into new conflict.

  1. Institutions Matter as Much as Individuals

While much of the dialogue focused on personal qualities, Lincoln and Mandela both emphasized the importance of institutions that outlast individual leaders.  Democracies and stable governments depend on systems of accountability, laws, and norms that limit abuses of power.

  1. Great Leaders Prepare the Next Generation

Mandela’s decision to step down voluntarily illustrated an important principle: leadership should strengthen society so that it does not depend on one person.  Great leaders cultivate future leaders and ensure that institutions remain strong after they leave office.

  1. Leadership is Ultimately Service

Perhaps the most powerful theme emerging from the discussion is that leadership is not about personal glory or domination.  At its best, leadership is an act of service to others.  Leaders succeed when they help citizens flourish, protect their freedoms, and create conditions in which people can build meaningful lives.

Hannah Arendt Arrives

Hannah Arendt is one of the most brilliant philosophers and thinkers of the twentieth century.   Her book “The Banality of Evil” is one of the great analyses in history of what leads men and women to unspeakable acts of cruelty and immorality.   Her works cover a broad range of topics, but she is best known for those dealing with the nature of wealth, power, fame, and evil, as well as politics, direct democracy, authority, tradition, and totalitarianism.   She is also remembered for the controversy surrounding the trial of Adolf Eichmann, for her attempt to explain how ordinary people become actors in totalitarian systems, which was considered by some an apologia, and for the phrase “the banality of evil”.   Her name appears on the names of many journals, schools, scholarly prizes, humanitarian prizes, think-tanks, streets, stamps and monuments; and is attached to other cultural and institutional markers that commemorate her thought.

Hannah Arendt:  

I realize that you men are too smart to have forgotten a women’s perspective, so I will simply assume that somehow my invitation to this discussion was lost.  However, arriving late does have its advantages.  It allows me to listen carefully to what each of you distinguished gentlemen has said—and as often happens when one arrives last, it appears I will also have the final word.

Now I do not claim to be a great leader.  My life has been spent mostly observing politics rather than practicing it.  Yet in studying the rise and fall of governments, revolutions, and the darker episodes of the twentieth century, I have learned something about the nature of power and leadership.

Professor Confucius reminds us that virtue is essential.  Plato insists that wisdom must guide authority.  President Lincoln speaks of humility and democratic accountability.  General Bolívar warns of the fragile balance between liberty and order.  President Mandela demonstrates the extraordinary strength required for reconciliation.

All of you are correct, and yet I would add an important distinction that history repeatedly teaches us: power and leadership are not the same thing.

Power, in the political sense, does not arise from a single leader’s virtue or intelligence.  True power emerges when people act together, when they recognize a shared purpose and agree to build something in common.  Authority imposed from above may command obedience for a time, but it rarely endures.

The greatest leaders therefore do something quite subtle.  They do not merely rule or persuade; they create conditions in which citizens themselves become participants in the public life of their society.

When leadership succeeds in this way, power no longer resides in the leader alone.  It resides in the collective will of the people.

And that, I believe, is the only form of power that can sustain a free society.

In Summary

John:

The conversation suggests that great leadership is not defined by charisma, popularity, or raw power.  Instead, it arises from a combination of moral character, wisdom, humility, and a genuine commitment to the well-being of others.

Across centuries and continents, these thinkers seem to agree on one central truth:

Leadership is not about ruling over people—it is about guiding a society toward justice, stability, and human dignity.

The End

 

 

 

 

 

The Lost Art of Leadership: Lessons on Leadership from Abraham Lincoln

03 Feb 2025 5 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

America has lost the “Art of Leadership.”  We no longer develop men and women with integrity and courage.  Instead of Statesmen, we have political hacks only concerned with getting reelected.  Instead of people with a backbone and the guts to stand up against injustice, we have a Congress of sycophants willing to do whatever they are told to do regardless of how unethical or immoral it may be.  We have thousands of lawyers who do not uphold justice but find arguments to support an amorality that meets the letter of the law but ignores the significance of decency, goodness, honesty, conscience and fairness.

In my next blogs, I want to write about 41 insights regarding leadership from one of the greatest American leaders and Presidents of all time.  I found a compilation of these insights in an old collectors edition of “Civil War Times” published in Winter, 2013.  I would like for you to hear the words of Abraham Lincoln and what he had to say about leadership.  I will include some of my own experiences from my years of working with senior management in over 32 organizations.  Some of the men and women I worked with were incredible leaders.  Most of them wanted to be better leaders and that is where I brought the teachings and thoughts of W. E. Deming to my consulting practice.  Dr. Deming achieved extraordinary results in business by tapping the knowledge, skills and abilities of ordinary people.  Senator Hubert Humphrey famously said that “Democracy is a system that achieves extraordinary results with ordinary people.”

I should issue one caveat before I begin this series.  There are some who disparage “Honest Abe” as not really caring about slavery.  They argue, Lincoln only fought the war to save the Union and not to free the slaves.  My readings and knowledge of Lincoln shows that nothing, I repeat NOTHING could be further from the truth.  Lincoln was appalled at slavery from the time he was a young child until he issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  The idea that Abe did not care about slavery is a lie fostered by a bitter Confederacy that wanted to hide their heinous practice behind the cloak of states rights.

Lincoln said,  “I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.”  –August 22, 1862, Letter to Horace Greeley

Lincoln also said, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union and is not either to save or destroy slavery.  If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it.” —August 22, 1862, Letter to Horace Greeley

Two very different goals.  Two very different thoughts.  What are we to make of Lincoln’s motivations?  The Confederacy pushed the latter because it justified their defense of States rights to choose slavery as a viable economic system.  Several of the constitutions of the new Confederate states proclaimed their rights to practice slavery.

In its statement for seceding from the Union, the state of Georgia wrote the following:

“The party of Lincoln, called the Republican party, under its present name and organization, is of recent origin.  It is admitted to be an anti-slavery party.  While it attracts to itself by its creed the scattered advocates of exploded political heresies, of condemned theories in political economy, the advocates of commercial restrictions, of protection, of special privileges, of waste and corruption in the administration of Government, anti-slavery is its mission and its purpose.”

Alexander H. Stephens, the Confederate vice president said the following:

“Our new government is founded upon . . . its foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery – subordination to the superior race – is his natural and normal condition.”

Lincoln was always against slavery.  Long before he became president he argued about the evil and immorality of slavery.  He modified this position to include saving the Union at the beginning of the war as a political expedient to gain support for the war.  As it became clear that the North would win and thereby have the power to free the slaves and abolish slavery, that became his main objective.  There can be no doubt that he did both.  There can be no doubt that in doing so, he signed his death certificate.  Like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and many other civil rights martyrs, the cause of equal rights for all has always been a precarious position to assume.

Lincoln said that “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”  Martin Luther King in his famous “I have a Dream” speech said that this promise was an uncashed check.  It is now “Eight Score” years from the date of the Emancipation Proclamation and we are once again engaged in a battle between racism and equality, between prejudice and tolerance and between fascism and democracy.  We have begun a new “Uncivil War” which has divided the hearts, minds and loyalties of Americans from the East Coast to the West Coast every bit as deeply as did our first Civil War.

Today we face a battle between those who believe that America should be a White Supremacist Christian nation ruled by rich oligarchs and those who believe in the concepts of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.  One half of America wants to create a country that believes in the concepts of White exceptionalism, America First and Evangelical Christianity above all over religions.  This half praises individual rights above individual responsibilities.  The rights of the individual are more important than the rights of society.

The other half of America wants to create a country where racism, sexism, exclusivity and prejudice does not exist.  This half believes that responsibilities are just as important as rights.  That the rights of others in society must be protected from those who would trample on them.  This group believes in democracy over oligarchy.  These Americans believe that we all have the right to “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” as long as we take responsibility to insure that everyone in our nation shares these rights.

The war between these two sides of America has now entered a new phase.  The first phase started many years ago.  The second phase has started on January 21, 2025.  I want to help us to remember the ideas and insights of Abraham Lincoln as we move into this second phase.

Insight # 1

Fight the Good Fight:  The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.  — Springfield, Illinois, 12/20/1839

Lincoln was thirty years old when he said these words.  They reflect the words of Frederic Douglas who said, “ If there is no struggle, there is no progress.  Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground.” 

The words of Patrick Henry also come to my mind,

“If we wish to be free– if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending–if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained–we must fight!  I repeat it, sir, we must fight!

I keep these words and thoughts in my mind as our “Uncivil War” commences the next four years to preserve and protect what we call our democracy.  I have no doubt that many people have struggled throughout American history to save things that they believed in.  There has been times when African Americans, Latinos, Women, Indigenous People, Asian Americans and LGBTQ people have all been persecuted and where life must have seemed totally unjust and not worth living.  Many of us woke up on November 6th with similar feelings.  I cringed when I saw people walking around town waving Trump flags and others proclaiming that they voted for Trump.  I consoled myself with “hoping they would get what they deserved.”  Then I realized that “hope” was not enough.  We must fight for what we believe in.

How do we fight an “Uncivil War”?  Insight # 2 from Old Abe has some valuable thoughts to help us in this struggle.  I will share these in my next blog.

 

My Final Will and Testament – Influences – Reflection #9  — Part 1 People

31 May 2024 5 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

images If you have gone this far with “My Final Will and Testament” you will not need the introduction that I have used for the past 9 Reflections.  If this is your first visit to my series of fourteen reflections than I suggest that you go back to number one and start there.  This link will take you to the first reflection in my series:  “Things that I Have Loved in Life.” You will get the background to my thoughts and desires concerning this series of Reflections in this first blog.

Imagine that this is the last day of your life on earth.  In the time that you have left, you want to leave a “Testament” for your family and friends. 

  1. These are the Influences (people, literature, and Music) that have shaped me.

There are many categories of things which I could describe that have shaped my life.  However, for reasons of expediency I have limited them to three: People, music, and literature.  I will briefly discuss some of the major formative experiences in each category.  On any given day, I could add or subtract several of these experiences and swap them out with others.  The things that have made a difference in my life are like the desert sands.  They shift and take various shapes depending on how the winds of my mind are blowing.  Because the elements of this reflection are so numerous, I am going to break them down into three parts.  In Part 1, I will reflect on the People who have made the greatest contributions to my life.  In Part 2, I will reflect on the Literature that has most influenced my ideas and thoughts.  In Part 3, I will describe the Music that has moved my feelings, my emotions, and my soul.

Part 1, People:

This is easily the most formative and impactful of the categories that have made me the person I am today.  This category includes the people who have had the most influence on my life.  People that I will never forget.  These people have all helped me to be a better person.  They have been positive forces in my life.  I will refrain from discussing those people who have had a negative impact on my life.  It should be noted that negative events can easily be just as life changing as positive events.  However, in this “Last” testament, I want to stay positive.  There are ten people I need to mention who stand out from the rest.  My apologies to anyone who I have left out who reads this blog and feels slighted.  I am listing these friends, counselors, and mentors in chronological order of appearance in my life.

Mother Fyndoca: (1956)

My fifth-grade teacher at Mount St. Francis Academy who knew that I was a rascal and a troublemaker but who also saw the potential I had.  She never let me off the hook for any mischief I did but she never let go of believing in me.  She was always there to encourage me with compassion and understanding.  She died to young from cancer.

Kwame Rice: (1971)

I met Kwame while taking a Sociology class at Rhode Island College in 1971.  We had a diverse group of students including Latinos, African Americans, and Italian Americans in the class.  Providence is a very heavy Italian Community.  It is also quite a melting pot for other cultures.  The major focus in the class was going to be on Race Relations and Prejudice.  The class was excited because we reflected quite a bit of diversity and experiences.  We anticipated many interesting discussions.

The Professor must have been worried about conflict because he selected Judaism as the subject for our talks.  There was not a single Jewish student in the class.  Kwame, an African American student, who was also a returning veteran, and I met after class.  Both of us were equally annoyed by the Prof’s decision.  We jointly decided that whether he wanted to or not, we were going to bring up other ethnic groups in the class for discussion as well as Jews who faced discrimination.  The class had so much diversity that we were not going to let this opportunity pass.  It was clear from the start that Kwame and I were kindred spirits.

It is fifty-three years later, and we are still good friends and brothers.  Kwame is now a Pastor, and we regularly have discussions on the problems of America in terms of religion, politics, race, and a host of other subjects.  Over the years, these talks and our friendship have given me a whole different insight into the history of America and how Black people and other minorities have been treated very differently than White people.  Kwame cares deeply about people and trying to create a just society for all people regardless of race or religion.  Now that he is retired, he devotes much of his time to helping Veterans at a center in Providence.  He is still fiery about his passions and convictions and has not given up on any of them.

Margo House: (1976)

Margo was a counselor and a good friend.  During my separation from my first wife, she more or less adopted me.  I was alone with no job, no friends, no family in a town 2000 miles from where I was brought up.  Margo invited me on trips with her family and helped me to see that there was still light at the end of the tunnel.  She was a kind woman who never took any money for the counseling and advice that she gave me.

Evelyn Rimel: (1977)

Dr. Rimel was my counseling instructor when I took the MS program in Counseling at Stout State University.  She was open-minded and never gave negative comments to any students.  She showed her compassion for all of her students and did not discriminate among the students.  Every student had her complete attention and help when needed.  She could demonstrate the power of love and compassion to change lives far better than anyone I have ever known before or since.  She loved all people and it showed up in her efforts to help make her students into change agents for a more loving world.

Sister Giovanni: (1979)

I was hired as a counselor/teacher at Guadalupe Area Project (Gap) in West Side St. Paul by Sister Giovanni.  Sister G as she was known to all was a direct forceful woman who brooked no stupidity or false pretenses from anyone.  She was the founder and leader of GAP.  You might say that she could be as hard as iron and as soft as cotton.  She was never ambivalent, but she always knew the right amount of force to apply to any problem or person.  She accepted me for the teacher that I was and helped give me guidance to become a better teacher both mentally and spiritually.  During my hiring interview, I told her that I was an Atheist, her reply was, “I don’t care what your religion is as long as you are a good teacher.”

Bill Cox:  (1980)

The separation with my first wife led me to a period of introspection and self-reflection into my life, my heart, and my emotions.  I realized that I had a great deal of blame for the problems in my marriage.  Many of these problems stemmed from the macho culture that I grew up in.  It is a culture that America seems to be imbued with.  Women are often treated as chattel and as second-class citizens.  Somehow I found my way to something called the “Men’s Center.”  It was in the heart of downtown Minneapolis on Park Avenue.  The director of the center was William (Bill) Cox.  He was a retired Methodist Minister.

The Men’s Center hosted a weekly gathering of men who wanted to discuss what it meant to be a man today.  What were the pros and cons of the messages that society sent us about being male in America?  Something akin to the Women’s movement was going on during the early 80’s and the Men’s Center and Bill Cox were at the heart of it in Minnesota.  There were numerous new books coming out on the subject of male masculinity.  We even developed a yearly conference on masculinity in Minnesota.  I eventually took a role in this movement and presented several workshops.

Bill was a unique individual.  He was instrumental in founding and funding the Men’s Center.  He lived and breathed the desire to help other men.  He spent most of his waking time trying to grow the Men’s Center.  Over the years, Bill and I became close friends.  We did workshops and talks together on Masculinity.  He was another brother in my life along with Kwame.  When Karen and I were married in 1989, Bill was the minister for our wedding.  I could always go to Bill for advice and support.  He was one of the kindest, most intelligent men I had ever met.

Dr. W. E. Deming (1986)

I met Dr. Deming for the first time at one of his five-day Quality Improvement seminars in San Francisco.  Dr. Deming forever changed the way I looked at work and productivity.  I credit three people as geniuses that I have read about in my life:  Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Dr. W. E. Deming.  Of the three, I have only had the pleasure of knowing Dr. Deming personally.  I worked with Dr. Deming during the period from 1986 until he passed away in 1993.  My relationship with Dr. Deming was one of the great adventures of my life.  Dr. Deming could be charming or to say the least disarming.  He was never one to mince words or as they say to “suffer stupidity lightly.”

I had joined Process Management International (PMI) after completing my Ph.D. degree in 1986.  PMI was founded by three former managers from Control Data Corporation in Minnesota with the guidance of Dr. Deming.  The practice of PMI was based on Dr. Demings famous 14 Points for Management.  I was familiar with Dr. Deming but did not know anything about his points/principles.  At the conference with Deming in San Francisco, I was designated to be one of his two helpers.  My boss Lou Schultz introduced me to Dr. Deming.  Lou said to Dr. Deming, “I would like you to meet one of my new employees.  Dr. Persico has just graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Ph.D. in Business.”  Dr. Deming shook my hand while replying “Humph, business schools, teach you all the wrong things.  Ph. D in business a total waste of time.”   That was my first meeting with Dr. Deming.  I cannot say that I was totally enamored with Dr. Deming at this point in our relationship.

Over the years, I worked with Dr. Deming many times.  At first, I was willing to concede that he might have been right about some of the things that I learned in business school being useless.  However, the more I learned from Dr. Deming, the more “right” he became in his pronouncement about business schools teaching all the wrong things.  Later on, I was 99 percent sure that he was correct.  I learned more about business from Deming than I ever did in my five or so years at the University of Minnesota.

The teachings of Dr. Deming opened a whole new way for me to see the world.  There was good in this and bad in this.  The good was in teaching me what a force for solving the problems of the world a business perspective could be.  The bad was in raising my expectations about how things could be only to see smart business-people doing dumb things over and over again.  Dr. Deming used to say, “There is nothing common about common sense.”  Also, “You put a good person in a bad system and the system will win every time.”

Sam Pakenham Walsh:  (1986)

Sam was easily the most educated and one of the smartest men I have ever met in my life.  If there ever was a model or prototype for an educated Oxford man it would have been Sam P-W.  Sam was also a consultant at PMI.  I was assigned to work with Sam on my first consultant engagement with International Nickel Corporation (INCO) in Canada.  While I learned most of what I know from Deming about business, I learned everything about consulting with clients from Sam P-W.  Like Deming, Sam was direct and did not mince words.  I respect this in a man or woman and value it most highly in a friendship.  Sam and I became good friends over time.  We had our share of disagreements and arguments, but we never lost respect for each other.

One of Sam’s most powerful abilities was what endeared him most to me but often was his downfall with clients.  Sam was the quintessential intellectual.  He reminded me of Thomas Jefferson.  Sam read more and knew more about philosophy and science than anyone else I have ever met in life.  Up to the time that Sam died at the age of 86, he was still learning and studying new ideas and new theories.  Sam’s ideas could be very esoteric, and this often did not go over well with clients.  Only the most open-minded and astute clients who would take the time to understand what Sam was telling them were receptive to some of his ideas.  He was frequently discounted as being too intellectual.

When it came to the realm of intellect, I lost my primary benefactor when Sam passed away.  Never one to be pragmatic, Sam taught me about thinking and logic and reasoning.  He understood more about the Scientific Method and Process Analysis than anyone else that I have ever worked regularly with.   Being logical and rationale is an endeavor that with Sam in mind, I continue to try to develop in my life.

Dr. Hana Tomasek: (1987)

Dr. Tomasek was a refugee from the Czech republic who fled her native land after the Russian invasion of 1968.   Hana came to this country speaking little English and with only her husband Yara and two suitcases.  They fled in the middle of the night and somehow evaded the border guards to find freedom in the USA.  Hana had a Ph.D. in Chemistry, and her husband Yara was an inventor and mechanical engineer with several patents to his name.  Since she could speak no English she could not find a job commensurate with her knowledge, skills, and abilities.  Hana took a job in a piece work factory nights making jewelry until she learned enough English to find other employment.

When I met Hana, she had become a contract consultant with PMI.  She helped other consultants to develop teaching, consultant skills and methods for working with clients.  Hana helped me with several classes and seminars that I had to put on while I was working with clients.  Hana had the people skills that anyone would be envious of.  She could always get her ideas across without offending anyone.  While I learned my business skills from Dr. Deming and my consulting skills from Sam P-W, I learned my people skills from Hana.  We became good friends.

Over the years, Hana, Karen, Yara and I did many things together.  From canoe trips to parties and Fourth of July celebrations, our lives were enriched by our times together.  We eventually went to the Czech Republic and stayed with a friend of Hana who took us around Prague and the Czech Republic.  We met some of Hana’s other friends and relatives.  Hana never forgot her folks back home and regularly made trips to her homeland to start a consulting company there.  Her company helped to put the Czech Republic on the road to Quality Management and Quality Improvement.  She spoke many times at conferences in the Czech Republic and was much admired by all the people there as well as anyone she ever met in the USA.

When Hana passed away, some of us put a memorial bench up in her honor near the lake that she loved so much.  Hana was one of those unique individuals who help to make the world a better place.

Helen Boyer: (1999)

In 1999, I quit full time consulting and went to work for the Minnesota Metropolitan Council.  My title was Principle Consultant 2.  It was my job to put the Met Council on the right path to implementing a Quality Improvement Program.  Helen Boyer was the Director of the division that I worked in called the Environmental Services Division.  I had a boss directly over me, but I reported to Helen on a regular basis.  She was a severe but totally fair task master.  I was the expert in Quality Control, but she was the expert in managing a regional government body representing seven of Minnesota’s metropolitan counties including, Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington County.

Perhaps more than any other manager I have ever worked for, Helen gave me the opportunity to do the work that I was hired for.  She backed me up when needed and provided me with the time and labor to implement a large number of major quality improvement projects.  She never rejected any of my ideas out of hand.  In fact, I never remember her rejecting any of my ideas.  She always insisted on facts and data to support an idea, but she was one of the most open-minded people I have ever known.  Helen had a degree in Law and a degree in Chemistry which served her well as the leader of a division that was scientifically oriented but still rife with politics.

When I came to the Met Council, I was about a 1 in knowledge of Government politics.  With Helen’s help, when I left two years later,  I had graduated from a one to a five.  If I had stayed longer, I would have made even more progress.  However, “Ever Upward” was my financial motto back in those days and I left for a  great deal more money than I could be making in the Government.

Karen Blomgren:  (1983) Due to my “Special” relationship with Karen she is out of sequence. 

In 1989, Karen Blomgren Hinze and I went to China together.  We went there on our own and came back about two weeks before the Tiananmen Square Massacre on June 4, 1989.  The Chinese uprising had actually started nearly two months earlier when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Yaobang died in April 19.  We spent three weeks traveling around China from about the third week of April to the second week of May.  During this time, we traveled from Shanghai, to Hangzhou, to Huangshan, to Nanjing and back to Shanghai.  We traveled by local bus, commuter bus, train, bicycle, foot, car, and even a gondola.  We traveled most of the trip by ourselves but a few times with some new friends that we met on our travels whom we remain friends with today.  During this trip, I bought Karen an engagement ring.

When we returned to the states, we planned our marriage.  On Sept 5th, 1989, Karen Blomgren Hinze became Karen Blomgren Persico.  Karen does not actually use the name Blomgren which is her maiden name.  However, I have a difficult time not thinking of her as a Blomgren since she was so close to her Mother and Father.

Karen grew up as an only child.  She may have been somewhat spoiled.  Nevertheless, Karen’s parents not having enough money to pay her way to college for a degree in Nursing, Karen worked and paid it all off herself.  She has never shown any resentment for her parents not being able to give her a free ride.  Karen has never expressed anything other than gratitude and admiration for the way that she was treated as a child and for the lessons that her parents taught her.

Karen is one of the kindest and most optimistic people you will ever meet.  She is also one of the most frugal humans I know.  She would rather shop at a Goodwill or Salvation Army than go to any regular retail store.  The other day, I wanted to take her to some upscale designer outlet shops in Tucson to buy a new purse and dress for my 60th high school reunion.  I told her “why am I still working part-time if we can’t afford some luxury items once in a while?”  Fourteen years down here and we had never been to even one of these fancy outlet shops.

We drove down and went from outlet store to outlet store.  We saw all the big names, Michael Kors, Prada, Coach, Ives Laurent, and many others.  Karen looked and looked.  She picked out products that had sixty percent off.  A purse that went for 500 dollars was reduced to 200 dollars.  Item after item she put back on the shelf or rack.  The same thing happened in every store we went to.  Frankly, I was bewildered at how much many of these products still cost even with a sixty percent discount.

I finally said, “how about we go back to Casa Grande and check out the Marshalls and Ross stores there?”  In the blink of an eye, we were back in the car and headed north to Casa Grande.  Once we arrived in the Promenade parking lot, It did not take Karen 20 minutes to find a nice dress and a new purse.  I think the total amount for both was about 60 dollars.  No one could ask for or find a better wife if they went to every continent in the world.  Karen is always ready to give me a back rub when I need it.  She is a great cook.  Sews many of the things that grace our house and is always ready to take off with me on some of my adventures.  She is not a complainer even when my adventure turns out to be a dud.  Karen is optimistic, always positive and hopeful as well.  Many people have told me that it is a miracle that she puts up with my pessimism, my radical politics, and my negativity towards the world.  If I were to use the word blessed, here is what I would say “I am blessed to have Karen for my wife.”

Well, that’s all.  I could have said a lot more about each of these wonderful people.  I should also have remembered many other people whom I have passed over.  Alas, our allotted space and time in the world never permits us the ability to recognize all the good deeds that others have done for us.  My apologies again for anyone that I have slighted or overlooked.

Next, I will publish Part 2 of my reflections on the Influences that have shaped my life.  More specifically, Part 2 will deal with the “Literature and Authors” that have shaped my thoughts and behaviors.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Thirteenth Greatest Mystery of All Time:  How can I Provide More Value to the World and Get Paid for It? 

08 Nov 2014 1 Comment

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Business-Consulting1If you have a good memory, you will note two facts. One, I skipped mystery number 12.  Two, I added a 13th mystery to my series of All Time Greatest Mysteries.  Call it a “baker’s dozen.”   Actually, this is a rather shameless advertisement for my services.  I have posted over 95 blogs on this site and nearly 600 blogs at www.timeparables.blogspot.com  and never one ad.  Today, I am posting an ad for myself.  I want to consult, teach, train, speak, lecture, educate, facilitate and help organizations innovate in the areas of cost reduction, strategic thinking, quality improvement, customer service, innovation and revenue generation.  Over the years, I have helped many profit and non-profit companies by solving problems and creating solutions to their most pressing business needs.

“Don’t think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.”  ― Austin Kleon

I am now looking for potential clients that need the help of an honest, hardworking, creative and innovative consultant.  Over the years, my clients have made amazing improvements in all areas of their business including:  increased revenue, reduced operating costs and greatly improved customer loyalty.  I enjoy a collaborative working relationship with clients wherein I bring the best of twenty six years of organizational development experience to the client and meld this to the knowledge and systems perspective that is part of their inside working experience.   consulting_concept1

“Try not to sound like those singer-songwriters that go on and on with ten-minute, barely intelligible stories that everyone endures until the next song starts.”  ― Loren Weisman

You might be wondering:  “How do I fit into this marketing picture?”  If you know of any organization that is in financial difficulty or any organization or manager that simply wants to be better able to compete in a global market, please send me their names or send them a link to this blog.  I have a full-profile and resume at LinkedIn and examples of some presentations that I have used for organizational development at Slideshare.net.

I have a website at www.johnpersico.com  that displays my model of organizational excellence and some of the tools that I use in the quest for enhanced organizational performance.  I do not use a cost cutting model of organizational growth and change.  My models are all based on doing things better, smarter and more effectively.  Over the years, I have learned from such management experts as: W. E. Deming, Kaoru Ishikawa, Peter Drucker, Herbert Simon, Noriaki Kano, Yoji Akao,  Joseph Juran, Kenichi Ohmae and many others whose names I have now forgotten but whose lessons and models I have assimilated.  11596153-business-consulting-concept-in-word-tag-cloud-on-white-background2

“I’ve said it before, and by gosh, I’ll say it again — don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.”  ― Emlyn Chand

I have conducted hundreds of seminars, online classes, workshops, talks, training sessions, team projects and consulting engagements with government, education, for-profit, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, IT, mining and retail industries.  I would be happy to speak to anyone to see how I can help them reach their goals or simply plan a strategy to help them more effectively accomplish their vision and mission.  My vision has been the same now for 25 years:  To Live a Healthy, Useful and Wise Life.   

“The true basis of morality is utility; that is, the adaptation of our actions to the promotion of the general welfare and happiness; the endeavor so to rule our lives that we may serve and bless mankind.”  —- Annie Besant

Please take 3 minutes to review my video.  I was asked to create a video for a potential client that wanted me to showcase my facilitation and teaching style.  This short video was the result.  Please feel free to pass it on to other people.  If it goes viral like Gangnam Style, I may have to create a dance to go along with it.

John Persico Consulting and Training Video 

Thank you for your help.  

I promise to post Mystery Number 12th this coming week.

 

Management Secrets from the Iditarod.

19 Mar 2013 3 Comments

by Dr. John Persico Jr. in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Someone once said that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”  Having been in management since 1970, I would add that “metaphors” are equally malignant when it comes to disseminating business advice.  No doubt you have read:

  • Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun,
  • Leadership Secrets of Jesus
  • Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell
  • Leadership Secrets of the Bible
  • Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham
  • Leadership Secrets of Hilary Clinton
  • Leadership Secrets of Abraham Lincoln

There are 392 books listed on Amazon.com wherein the phrase “Leadership Secrets” is part of the title.  You can even find “Leadership Secrets of Santa Claus” if you still believe in him or her.  Each of these books uses what I would phrase as a series of metaphoric devices to show you that the “Secrets” of whomever can readily be applied to modern management practice. With so many secrets extant, is it any wonder that managers are bewildered when it comes to understanding what good management practice is?  By the way, if “Secrets” are not your bag, then you should go to my next blog, which will cover the “Seven Attitudes of Killer Managers.”  No pun intended!

Well, this is your lucky day.  It just so happens I have a set of management “secrets” derived from a bunch of dogs.  No, I am not kidding!  In all sincerity, if you are still looking for a metaphor for your next HR meeting, here it is:  “Management Secrets from Iditarod.”  The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is one of the most grueling and difficult races in the world.  It traverses a distance of over 1100 miles over some of the roughest most desolate terrain in the world. It is run annually in early March from Anchorage to Nome. A Musher and a team of 16 dogs, of which at least 6 must be on the towline at the finish line, cover the distance in 9–15 days or more. Teams frequently race through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73 °C).

The Iditarod race requires organization, training, recruitment, resources, preparation, strategy, stamina, and leadership.  While there are no products sold, endorsements play a major role in helping the teams finance their competition. Thus, branding and image play are key to a team recruiting backers who are willing to shell out at least $20,000 dollars to support the team.

While, I think many metaphors often strain the envelope of credibility, I think the Iditarod really offers an interesting insight into how a key resource in any organization should be recruited, selected and trained.  I stumbled upon this insight while reading USA Weekend from March 8-10, 2013. On page 2 was a short article called “You Can Do It To!”  This article was about Lance Mackey who has won the Iditarod Championship 4 times since 2007.  In 2007, Lance became the first person to win both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year. This feat was considered almost impossible by many and is considered one of the most impressive feats ever by a musher and he was nominated for a 2007 ESPY Award based on his performance.

Now here is the key part.  How does Lance treat his dogs?  Well, he could use the one of the tried and true management strategies such as:

  • Kick ass and take names.

Treat your employers coolly. Stay distant so they will respect you. Make them know who the boss is early on. Never fraternize with your employees or they will take you for granted.  Surround yourself with ass lickers and people who will never threaten your position.

  •  Hire the best and smartest guys in the room.

Remember Enron and Ken Lay?  This is talent management at its best. Only recruit MBA’s and only MBA’s from Harvard or MIT or Stanford.  Be sure you adequately screen your recruits for competitiveness and a Machiavellian attitude.  Beware any who took too many courses in ethics.

  •  Reward, reward, reward and incent with bonuses, stock options and perks.

Nothing works like the carrot. If you want to get the most out of your employees, you need to reward them and shower them with performance incentives. A good performance management system is key to getting the most out of your employees. We all know that a good employee works for the financial rewards and that if you want to increase productivity, you must increase financial incentives.

  •  Fire the bottom twenty percent, promote the top 10 percent and warn the other 70 percent that their jobs are on the line.

This is the well-known GE or Jack Welch method.  Just look at how successful GE was!  Indeed Jack Welch has been called one of the most successful managers of all time.  He has also been called a few other names which I won’t mention here. Needless to say, it is results that count and not how a few slackers feel when they get their pink slips.  Just keep on promoting the top ten percent and get rid of those do-nothings in the bottom twenty percent.  Those employees who are left will work so hard to keep their jobs, productivity will go through the roof.

So, DRUM ROLL!  Which method does Lance Mackey use with his dogs?  I will use his own words to describe his method and let you decide which category his strategy fits in.

Lance has a very simple attitude and method with his dogs. Speaking about his dogs, Lance says “We live in a barn together and hang out.  They are my best friends.”  He specifically states that he does not pick his dogs for speed or strength but for a good attitude, a willing appetite and cooperation.

How many managers do your know who could say that about their employees?  How many employees were selected for cooperation and attitude versus being the best and brightest?  How many managers hang out with their employees?  Lance’s strategies go against all the best management wisdom.  Lance truly has a relationship with each dog on his team.  His concern for his dog goes well beyond simply winning the race. He has said that his relationship with his team is more important than his winning.  When winning is the “only” thing, what does that do to our relationships with our employees?

I don’t want to make too much of this simple metaphor here. I suppose I could write a book called “Leadership Secrets of the Iditarod Dog Race” but I think there are enough “secrets” out there. My goal in writing this was to challenge some conventional thinking in respect to how we think employees need to be treated.  If dogs can be treated better than people are in most organizations, what does that say about our Human Resource practices?  Maybe we should start a new practice called DR for Dog Resources and start treating our employees as well as Lance treats his dogs.  Maybe then, productivity would pick up and the floggings could stop.

Ok, time for questions:

What will it take to change our paradigms for treating employees?  Are you friends with your employees? Do you believe it would be too dangerous to fratenize? What if you hung out with your employees? Are you afraid they would take you for granted?  What if you selected employees without regard to degrees and credentials?  Do you only promote the top ten percent?  How do you decide who the “bottom” ten percent is?  What if you eliminated your “Performance Management” system and instituted the Deming System of Management?  Do you know what Deming promoted? Do you realize that your current system is probably more Taylor and less Deming.

Life is just beginning.